A Shove in the Right Direction 185
by charlie-sjer
Summary: Missing chapter from A Shove in the Right Direction


This is a missing chapter for A Shove in the Right Direction. Please read up to chpater 18. Walking Away before you read this, otherwise it might seem a bit odd.

Forever SMK, this is for you.

  


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It was their very first date, and Jack was as nervous as all hell. Sitting at a secluded corner table, in the restaurant they'd agreed to meet at - a small steak house in Colorado Springs - Jack perused the menu. Their booking was for 7pm and it was now 7:20pm with no sign of Sam. He was beginning to think that he'd been stood up. Not that he'd blame her, she could do a lot better than him.

Jack was brought out of his contemplation by a waitress, who came by to ask if he wanted anything to drink. Ordering his second beer for the night, Jack tried to fight the disappointment building in his gut. If she was going to cancel on their date, it would have been considerate of her to call, not to mention, less embarrassing for him.

As the minutes ticked by, his hurt turned to anger. How dare she stand him up? How dare she put him through this embarrassment, just because she'd changed her mind. Didn't she know what a phone was? He had his cell phone on him, and she, more than likely, had hers. There was no excuse for her not contacting him.

Deep in Cheyenne Mountain, Sam looked at the clock in her lab. 19:32. 'Shit!' Last time she looked, it had only been 17:50. Almost an hour and a half had passed and she was late for her date with Jack. 'He's going to kill me.'

Quickly closing down everything in her lab, Sam raced out the door and made her way to the elevator. Thankfully, she didn't have to wait long for it to arrive. Pressing the level button repeatedly and cursing the slowness of the doors, she waited for it to start moving. Dashing out as soon as the doors opened, she bolted into SG-1's locker room. Thank God she'd brought her date outfit with her this morning. Changing faster then she'd ever changed in her life, she prayed that she'd make it to the restaurant before he left. If he hadn't already.

Jack was onto his forth beer and was drowning in self pity. His anger hadn't lasted long and now he was just upset. He hadn't bothered to order a meal. It would only slow down the affects of the alcohol. He checked his watch again. 19:47. He really should go home, but his subconscious demanded that he endure this exquisite torture a while longer - either until she called, or they kicked him out. The only thing keeping him in the seat was the glimmer of hope that she would actually show up.

Sam parked her Volvo, haphazardly in the restaurant parking lot, her only thought was to get inside as fast as possible. Stumbling through the front door, she spied Jack sitting in the corner. With his slumped shoulders and the beer bottle in his hand, he looked a sad sight. She could only hope that he would forgive her.

Making her way over to the table with caution, she tried to be as quiet as possible. She felt terrible for making him wait for almost an hour. Probably longer if he'd gotten there early. When she reached the table, he spoke before she got the chance. "Another beer, thanks."

"How many have you had?" she replied, worried that he was getting himself drunk.

Jack looked up in surprise. She was actually here.

His misery forgotten, he stood up to greet her. "I was wondering when you were going to show up." It was meant as a joke, but by the look on her face, his delivery was lacking.

"I'm so, so sorry. I was in my lab, and I lost track of the time. I would have called, but I wanted to get here-"

He cut her off as she stated to ramble. "It's okay. Just sit down and we'll pretend the reservation was for eight."

Breathing a sigh of relief, she sank into the chair that Jack pulled out for her. "I really am sorry."

"It's alright, but I think next time, I'll pick you up."

Sam smiled brightly at the mention of a second date. "I won't argue with that."

The tension broken, they spent the rest of the evening discussing everything but work. Getting to know each others' idiosyncrasies, bad habits and anything else that happened to pop up in conversation.

They left the restaurant at quarter to one, both astounded by the amount of time that had past. Saying goodnight was awkward, but fun, in that 'new relationship' kind of way. A peck on the cheek, then another on the lips followed by silly grins, they parted ways, eagerly anticipating the next date.

Read more from chapter 19. What Do You Think?


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